King of the Night

Chapter Three

Elayna

The Aran had left momentarily to allow me to change my dress. Maylee entered the room holding a turquoise fabric that had tiny crystals all over it. "His Majesty told me that this was his mother's dress. He said she wore it on the day she was presented to the people as a claimed woman. If it isn't too bold of me to say, My Lady, you should be careful, you are betrothed to another man and being with the King in this way, allowing him to claim you as his plaything, it will only hurt you and you will get cast aside when he finds someone else that occupies his new-found interests." She laid the fabric on the bed as I slipped my stained white dress off.

"Maylee, I know that we have always spoken to one another with such honesty but you have no idea what is actually going on between the King and I. This isn't just some fling that will end when he finds someone else attractive and decides to bed her as well. What we have will never be broken nor will I ever be cast aside for some other woman." I spoke sternly, this was what I was worried about people thinking.

"I apologize, My Lady. I just don't want to see you get hurt and you are being too naïve about what will happen when he has had his fill of you. No man will willingly marry you unless you and Cameron are already married or the King forces someone to marry you. You'll be tainted and used. Your innocence will be gone from you forever." I picked up the dress and stepped into it. Maylee laced the back and stepped away. I chose to ignore her comments because she was the naïve one. She truly had no idea what was going on, but once she did...she would never stop apologizing, I knew her too well.

I went to my vanity and found gold bracelets and a gold hair piece, I slipped them into place and looked in the mirror. I looked absolutely beautiful and for once I was wearing a color that brought out who I really was and reminded me of my love for the ocean. A small knock on the door sounded and two guards entered the room. "We're to escort you to the Great Hall when you are ready, My Lady." I nodded and looked once more at my mirror. Was I really ready for this? What would people think? Would my father's people rebel against him when the Aran reveals that I am a Niya? What would Ezra think? Would he hate me for never sharing with him what my mark looked like? My mind was racing with a million questions that I wasn't sure that I would want answers to.

I stepped through the doors with the guards behind me. I took a deep breath and prayed to Valor that this wouldn't be a complete disaster. As we got closer to the Great hall, I could hear the music and laughter. That helped ease my uncertainty. I stepped into the archway and the Aran stood and waved for the musicians to stop playing. Everything was suddenly silent and the Aran began to speak, "Honored guests and friends of the Tiberius family, the Lord and Lady have allowed me to make an important announcement regarding the union of Lady Elayna and Lord Cameron."

He paused as looked at me, smiling widely. Everyone turned around and stared right at me. I felt like running out of the room and disappearing. The Aran motioned for me to come forward as he stepped down from the Great Seat, my father's throne. I did as he wanted and walked towards him. "As I was saying, under the law everyone in this great nation is to tell the truth and never hide anything from their King. However, Lord and Lady Tiberius took it upon themselves to keep the greatest secret possible from me. The past two years have been very trying for both myself and our kingdom since the loss of Queen Aerin and my infant son. I have fought many battles to secure the safety of our great nation. I have fought alongside many of the Lords in this very room. One person could have fixed all of my pain and help rebuild the once great traditions and customs of our nation. One person could have ensured that our nation would not have felt such pain after the loss of Queen Aerin..." He paused and began to walk towards me. The room was still silent and people still stared as I walked past them.